The U.S. wants countries to share pathogen samples and genomic sequencing data within five days of an outbreak

International News via Reuters:

The Trump administration wants countries that receive U.S. health aid to share data with Washington about pathogens that could spark epidemics as a condition of the funding, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

The U.S. wants countries to share pathogen samples and genomic sequencing data within five days of an outbreak, according to the document from the U.S. State Department, but it does not guarantee that any drugs or vaccines developed as a result of that exchange would go to the countries affected.

That imbalance could lead to a repeat of the inequalities experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks, where poorer nations struggle to access the tools developed to fight disease despite often first identifying the threat, some experts said. 

It could also undermine ongoing negotiations at the World Health Organization, where countries are trying to thrash out this very issue in a way that means lower-income countries are not left behind again, as part of the near-complete pandemic treaty.

The U.S. document is a memorandum of understanding that both the U.S. and recipient countries would sign. It includes targets for tackling conditions such as HIV, as well as on maternal mortality and measles vaccination. 

The document covers aid up to 2030, but the pathogen sharing agreement would last for 25 years. 

The document follows the revolution in U.S. aid that has taken place under President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy. The country’s new global health strategy, released in September, aims to move recipient countries towards “self-reliance”, and to sign bilateral deals as soon as possible.

BYPASSING WHO-BACKED DEAL

In response to questions about the document, a senior State Department official said the U.S. was committed to transparency and accountability in its global health strategy, without elaborating further. 

A source close to negotiations in one aid-recipient country confirmed the document was under discussion. Ghana’s Ministry of Health said on X on Thursday it had received a document on global health terms from the U.S. but did not provide details. 

Three global health officials said they had also seen the document and were aware that governments are discussing it with the United States.  

“These bilateral agreements … will bypass the WHO and the foundations of solidarity and equity we have been trying to build here,” said Michel Kazatchkine, former head of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria, at a WHO meeting in Geneva on Friday to discuss the pathogen-sharing piece of the pandemic treaty. 

Kazatchkine represents the Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response convened by the WHO to scrutinize the global response to COVID.

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told Reuters the agency had no information about the document. 

He said the pathogen access and benefits-sharing agreement member states are negotiating at WHO would both enable sharing materials “and, on an equal footing, the rapid, timely, fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the sharing or utilization of such materials”.

Reporting by Jennifer Rigby and Emma Farge in Geneva, additional reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Andrew Heavens

The U.S. has become Europe’s top oil and gas supplier on the back of the U.S. shale boom

International News via Reuters:

Global investments in renewable energy aren’t bearing fruit and the world should focus on securing reliable supplies of fossil fuels, U.S. energy and interior secretaries said this week as they worked on convincing Europe to buy more U.S. oil and gas.

The U.S. has become Europe’s top oil and gas supplier on the back of the U.S. shale boom and its companies are seeking to boost the share as the European Union moves to fully cut off remaining Russian energy imports.

The message from U.S. officials at an energy conference in Athens this week highlights the shift in U.S. policy under the Trump administration, which has rolled back environmental regulations and touted oil and gas “domination” as a central driver for the U.S. economy and international influence. 

“It just hasn’t worked,” U.S. energy secretary Chris Wright said of the transition to renewable energy at the conference, where U.S. companies announced deals to supply and drill for gas in Europe. 

Wright said on Thursday that he wanted the U.S. to replace “every molecule” of Russian gas that goes into Western Europe.

RENEWABLES HAVEN’T DELIVERED, U.S. SAYS

The U.S. produces over 20 million barrels per day of oil and liquids – every fifth barrel in the world. 

Its message highlights the gap with many nations in the EU, which this week agreed to cut emissions by 90% by 2040, from 1990 levels – although that was watered down from previous aims.

The world has spent between $4 trillion and $8 trillion to connect solar and wind farms to the grid, Wright said, but last year such sources still represented just 2.6% of global energy. 

“We spend more money every year on low carbon energies than we spend on hydrocarbons, but … the shift in money has not resulted in a shift in energy supply,” said Wright, who later described climate change as a “hoax”.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said: “There is no energy transition, there’s only energy addition.” 

Writing by Edward McAllisterEditing by Mark Potter